Before it Hits the Papers
by LovelyBullet
Summary: "Don't deny it, 'Mione." Hermione shut her jaw with a click, "You're my sister and I know - just give Ron and I a heads up before it hits the paper." Hermione blushed profusely as Harry turned back to the Aurors, "Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse us. I believe breakfast has been served."


Hermione was still in shock. _They had won._ She could finally close this chapter on her life. The last seven years of fighting evil were over. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had done their jobs. Now the adults had taken over. _Finally. _The uncorrupted aurors and remaining members of the Order were rounding up and dealing with the surviving death eaters.

Ron and Ginny were with their family, grieving by Fred's body in a room off the entry hall for the fallen. Hermione stood with Harry near the doors to Hogwarts. The pair stood side-by-side in silence, watching the sun rise over a new world. Hermione saw movement out of the corner of her eye. _Blonde. He had stayed. _

Hermione elbowed her friend. Her brother. She jerked her head at the boy at the edge of the lake. Neither of them had noticed the seventeen-year-old standing just out of the water's reach. Brown and green eyes watched as the blonde fell roughly to his knees, hands behind his head in surrender. Despite the force of his fall - he was tall and his body mass was considerable - he did not sway and did not waver. Even in the face of four full grown aurors standing above him.

"Harry -"

"We have to let them do their job -"

Hermione huffed and called over the growing distance between the two, "Because they were _so good _at it for the past nineteen years." She stomped across the grass, her breath coming heavily. She had stared down Bellatrix Lestrange just three hours earlier. Four aurors were _nothing._ "Oi!" She yelled. No need to be polite or beat around the bush, "What on earth are you doing?"

"We're rounding up the death eaters, ma'am." Harrow. He had been a fifth year when she was a first year. And he called her 'ma'am.' _Good._

"He's _seventeen_!" She yelled, not looking at Draco. If she had she'd see him looking with dead eyes at the pebbles on the shore. "He was forced int-"

"Ms. Granger." This one was older. His hairline was receding. "He has the mark."

"He was a _child soldier_. Do you think he had a _choice_?" Her voice was shrill and she didn't care.

"He di-"

"He did bad things? Is that what you were about to say?" Hermione's hands went from her hips to her wand. "Malfoy. Give me your wand." Now he looked at her. Although his eyebrow arched, the question did not reach his eyes. They were still blank. Surprising even himself, Draco held out his wand, which Harry had recently returned. Hermione took it and pointed it at her own wand, "_Prior Incantato_."

Spells danced from Hermione's wand. Shadows of sectumsempra, confringo, reducto, expulso, and much darker spells spilled from her wand's tip. She handed Draco back his wand, placed her own wand back in her pocket, and held out her hands, palms up, for their cuffing, "Arrest me, too, then." Harrow twitched. The older man grimaced. The other two shared an uncomfortable look. "I've killed last night. Many." The words were sour in her mouth as she boasted of the murders that would certainly haunt her sleep, "And I have it on _very _good authority that Malfoy here was a _terrible _death eater. If you're arresting him, you _must _arrest me." Harrow looked positively nauseous at the prospect of arresting the Golden Girl.

"We have orders." A third auror spoke up from behind Harrow and the older man. He looked awfully brave slightly hidden behind the other two.

Hermione stepped around the front two, advancing slowly on the speaker, "You have _orders_?" He nodded, "From _whom_?"

"Weasley." The fourth one backed up his partner, "Ron. Your friend."

Hermione's lips pulled back into a snarl. _Ronald. What did you do?_ "Were his orders _specifically_ to arrest Draco Malfoy?" The younger three looked at one another uncomfortable, the older one glared at Malfoy. She had her answer, "Then I suggest you listen to _Granger. Hermione_. And leave Draco be." Her hands were back on her hips.

With another look to the blonde, the four aurors trudged back to the castle. Hermione watched them walk with a defiant eye. She heard Draco climb back to his feet. "They'll come back, you know." Draco's voice was deadpan.

"Don't be so sure." She flicked her eyes towards Harry who was now talking to the four aurors. Now _ordering_ the four aurors. She, Harry and Ron had been elevated to a position beyond reproach. The three of them had agreed to back Kinglsey as the next minister, and the order and the general wizarding world respected the trio enough to adhere to their choice.

"I'm a Death Eater, Granger." He spoke harshly, "You should have let them take me. Better than waiting for them to come back."

Hermione turns to him. He must have grown since their sixth year for she had to look up to meet his eyes. She reached up with her hand and patted his cheek, softer than a slap, but harder than a tap, just enough to have a snap to it. "I'm not afraid of you, Draco."

"Maybe you should be."

She appraised him, her head cocked to the side and her eyes squinted just slightly. "No. I don't think I should." She looked behind her.

Ron had appeared shoulder to shoulder with Harry. They were still talking to the aurors. Hermione could tell Ron was revising his order, likely telling them to adhere to Hermione's sense of justice. They might not have a romantic relationship in their future, but she loved him. He'd back her move even though she was sure he had _intended _for Malfoy to hang even if he hadn't explicitly said.

"I'd better get back to them," She rolled her eyes at the confused look on Ron's face, melting away once Harry explained, "Governance is not their strong suit." Before she left though, Hermione looked back at Draco, "The elves are going to serve dinner, er, breakfast, I suppose." She sighed, "We tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted. Anyway," Malfoy did not look impressed, "I haven't seen Pansy or Zabini, or your parents, so if you need somewhere to sit, you can come find us, as long as the three of you can behave." She knew he would understand who he was referring to.

Hermione turned her back to Draco and climbed the slight hill to Ron and Harry. She slid in between the two boys, facing the aurors and listening to them debate who would guard Azkaban. While Ron continued discussing with those Aurors, Harry turned to Hermione.

"His wand yielded to you." Harry whispered to her, turning to speak directly into her ear. She glared at one of the aurors, a surrogate for Harry right now.

"Yours did." She shrugged, trying not to show they were talking. She did not want an audience.

"But we've been best friends since seven years." Hermione did not respond, "Are you and Ron settled?"

Hermione ignored the abruptness of the topic change, "We talked and agreed it was adrenaline. Nothing will be happening. Don't worry."

Harry aged before Hermione's eyes, "Just - if you're going to act on that soft spot for Draco Malfoy - don't deny it 'Mione." Hermione shut her jaw with a click, "You're my sister and I know - just give Ron and I a heads up before it hits the paper." Hermione blushed profusely as Harry turned back to the aurors, "Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse us. I believe breakfast has been served."

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked back into the Great Hall. Ron, as they sat down, exclaimed, "Waffles! I haven't had waffles in _years_!" He and Harry were on one side of the bench, with Hermione and Ginny, who had joined them, on the other. Luna and Neville slid into position as well. Followed by Dean and Seamus. And for that brief moment, before they went back to grieving and governing, everything was as it should be.

Draco watched from the door of the Great Hall as the Gryffindors and friends assembled. Granger had been right. Blaise, Pansy, and his parents were not there.

Pansy had been the first to leave. Blaise and Draco had forced her out of the castle with the evacuating younger students. Pansy, who had always talked a big game, had seen the truth under the Carrows' rule this year. She was not meant for battle.

Draco sent Blaise away before going into the Room of Requirement. Blaise promised Draco to do what he could to protect her if a worst case scenario came to pass.

His parents fled after his mother had lied and Potter had come back to life. They were halfway to France by now, he was sure. Maybe he would meet them at their chateau when this was all over.

He had stayed though. Alone. When Pansy left, he had stayed to see her. When Blaise had left, he had stayed to protect her. When his parents left, he had stayed to protect her.

But she didn't notice.

She never noticed.

He had followed her through the second portion of the battle. Watching her back when she was too busy watching the backs of others. When she battled his aunt, he had thrown a shield spell or two. She hadn't noticed. His aunt did, though. And she was _livid. _He was still worried she'd find a way to do him harm from her grave.

But now he stood at the precipice of a new tomorrow. On the line between the entry hall and the great hall. The stone floor flowed seamlessly from one room to the other, but he _knew_ that once he crossed that invisible line there would be no turning back. He lifted his foot and took the first step.

He knew people were watching him. He wondered if someone would hex him once they saw his target. His dragonhide boots clicked on the stone floor as he approached. He saw her friends look up at him as he drew closer. Some confused. Others surprised. Still more horrified. Except Lovegood. She just smiled serenely up at him. Hermione did not turn.

Draco walked to stand right behind her. His friends were still glaring at him. He saw more than one hand twitch towards a wand, but he also noticed that Potter and Weasley just looked resigned. Tentatively and slowly, very slowly, he tapped her on the shoulder, "Granger, does your offer still stand?"

He could only see the side of her face, but he could see enough to know she was smirking. "Ginny," Hermione looked at the gawking red headed girl, "Would you mind scooting over a bit?" Shocked, she complied. Hermione patted the bench between her and Luna, "Better hurry, Draco. Ron _will_ eat all the waffles if no one stops him."

Weasley looked _livid _that someone would challenge his dominion over the waffles. "Don't worry, Weasley, I'm more of a pancake man myself."


End file.
